KIEV – Former comedy actor Volodymyr Zelensky was sworn in as president of Ukraine at an inauguration ceremony in Kiev on Monday before announcing he was dissolving parliament, asking the government to step down and slating snap elections.

Zelensky, who had starred in a comedy television series in which he played the role of president, was elected into office in a landslide victory where he obtained 73 percent of the votes, beating the incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who only received 24 percent of the votes in the second round of the presidential elections held in Ukraine on April 21.

“I dissolve the eighth legislature of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament),” Zelensky said, although he did not give a date for the election. The poll had initially been due to take place on Oct. 27.

Prior to revealing that he was dissolving parliament, Zelensky had asked lawmakers to approve a series of urgent measures and also said he expected them to fire several persons in authority.